Smithills SchoolSharples School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bolton.
Summary of the comparison
Smithills School and Sharples School are secondary schools in Bolton.
Smithills School scores 48 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Sharples School scores 74 out of 100 (grade B, strong). Sharples School is ahead on our composite score.
Smithills School was judged in need of attention and Sharples School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 41.4 for Smithills School and 56.5 for Sharples School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at Smithills School (38.4 in 2021-22, 41.4 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at Sharples School (56.1 in 2021-22, 56.5 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BoltonSmithills School | BoltonSharples School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D48/100 | B74/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 16th of 20 in Bolton | 3rd of 20 in Bolton Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Needs attention | Ofsted: GoodStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,203 | 1,214 | |
| Capacity | 1,250 | 1,080 | |
| Location | Bolton, BL1 6JS | Bolton, BL1 8SN | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 41.4 | 56.5 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 34.5% | 73.2% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 56.2% | 86.1% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 226 | 231 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,201 | 1,218 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 42.4% | 29.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 58.8% | 33.7% | |
| SEN support | 12.3% | 9.3% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.0% | 3.2% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 9.4% | 5.5% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 28.2% | 11.4% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Smithills School
Sharples School
Full profiles: Smithills School · Sharples School